Spring is the peak of baby wildlife season. During this time and early part of summer, people may find young wildlife outdoors, and there is a pretty good chance you may find them alone, with no mother in sight.
A human’s first instinct might be to rescue the cute and seemingly helpless creatures, but Fish and Game officials suggest to leave them be.
Fish and Game receives calls from well-intentioned humans who have “rescued” baby animals that they commonly assume were lost, abandoned or orphaned every spring. But, although these people may mean well, officials say they are often doing more damage than good in intervening, because typically, the mothers are not far away from their youngs.
Animal parents periodically leave their young for an extended period of time, whether it is to search for food or divert their offspring from any kind of danger. After all, mothers know best.
Mammals, such as deer and elk, leave their young in a secure location, feed them, and returning later (sometimes several hours) to quickly feed their young, and leave them again. Instinctively, young animals know to remain still in the places their mothers left them.
Fish and Games said people can call them to check out abandoned animals, but they suggested humans to leave the animals be and undisturbed. It is also important to note that people should not plan to raise wild animals on their own. Fish and Games said young wild animals require special care and feeding that is beyond what the average household can manage.
Most importantly, possession of most species of wildlife taken from the wild is illegal.
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